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July 15-17, 1994
Umut Foundation, Ankara
Nazire Dedeman
Founder President of Umut Foundation
Speech Text
Esteemed guests, dear participants,
I welcome you to the Umut Foundation. This meeting is the first meeting held in the Middle East pioneered by the Umut Foundation and with the collaboration between Ibn Haldun Development Researches Center in Cairo, Peace Research Center in Tel Aviv, World Media in Paris and Search for Common Ground in Washington DC. This event is an example of the cooperation we are carrying out together with these institutes in our efforts for creating a peaceful world.
One of the objectives of the Umut Foundation is to teach reconciliation methods for the settlement of disputes and to create an environment which will assist the establishment and sustainability of peace. Our meeting is an important step towards realizing this objective.
Arising of disputes in our world is inevitable; however trying to settle such disputes by means of violence can be prevented. I believe that the media inspires whether disputes reflected to the press are settled by means of peaceful ways or by using violence, which, in turn, leads to preferring one of the options. The media is in the position of a presenter and an interpreter of disputes in the name of readers, listeners or viewers and while on one hand it performs its reporting mission in its publications in this subject, it, either on purpose or not, suggests solutions on the other.
While the news media proceeds within the process of reporting disputes, it specifies new comrades that will accompany it; its comrades are reconciliation experts, because disputes are in the field of interest of both the new media and reconciliation experts. If we want to explain this situation using the scientific terminology pertaining to reconciliation, both occupational groups are the third party to disputes.
While members of these two occupational groups proceed on the same path, they concentrate on various aspects of disputes. While reconciliation experts deal with the elimination of disputes, the news media shows efforts to report masses the existence of such disputes and related developments. While quests for solutions have to be clear of provocations and absolute judgment, the news media can approach the subject as a provocateur and/or with absolute judgment.
Even if a dispute goes towards a peaceful solution, such issues still survive. While the problem solver tries to create an environment of dialogue which both parties would get the best of, it is always possible that the new media can adopt an approach towards the same event as a fight or dispute in which only one party may win.
As a conclusion, problem solvers are in the position of an objective third party in any disputes concerning them and they have to be; on the other hand, we often witness to that the news media plays the role of a third party defending either one of the two parties.
It may be very easily said that the social role of the media is not to solve problems, but to report on them. Although I share the same opinion in this issue, I would like to especially mention that the mission of the media is not definitely to pour oil on the fire and not to tangle the existing situation.
While I pursue the development of disputes or problems in news, I always have the feeling as if I am watching a typical cowboy film at all times. If the cowboy rides his horse on green grass in peace at the beginning of the film, then it is likely that someone else will fire at him and the fight will begin. Later, as the media saying goes, the function to report on the dispute is initiated. If the film begins with a cowboy approaching a town, then he will definitely fight with someone from the town and as a result, the reporting process will being. At this point, we cannot be really sure about from where the problem originated. However, the scenarist will explain reasons of the event and the facts behind it during the development of the event, train us about the subject and thus, the audience will get the chance to understand the event.
Actually, gripping films are those films in which we obtain information from both sides of the story, but we do not easily take sides. We need further information to make a decision. While we approach the middle of the event, we reach the most violent part of the dispute and then wonder how the event will be settled. As the event extends, we feel disillusionment, despair or disturbance; we wish that the dispute is best settled. Following a series of difficulties and conflicts, the dispute is settled by some means or other and our cowboy disappears on his horse into the sunset.
Cowboy films and reporting are not so alike. Firstly, although I would like to solidly analyze the dispute when I watch the news, I rarely get informed on the reasons and content of the dispute. Secondly, although I want to obtain an objective news interpretation, I rarely obtain news from both parties to the event. Thirdly and most importantly, I rarely get informed on how the problem is settled, because when the time to solve the problem approaches, the medias interest in the subject is dispersed based on the thought that the event does not anymore draw the attention of the public.
Watching TV news or reading news on newspapers about disputes is just like making zapping among TV channels in the middle of the night. Dispute is a dispute and problem is a problem everywhere, but there is no concrete solution to any of them. Some problems are acute and some are chronic; however, you may always see these in news. How such news which has no beginning and no end push people to despair, annoyance and non-confidence! There is nothing other than a never-ending job which drags people to stress.
As a news consumer, I would like to watch the second half of the event. How interesting would it be to watch a story from beginning to the end? In other words, from the rise of a dispute to its end
If the media reports the public the related developments and importance of events in full and produces detailed news on the settlement of disputes continuously at the same speed, then it can only go beyond playing its social role. Readers and listeners will be more interested, careful and active if they well anticipate the reasons of and alternative solutions to problems.
Only if this is achieved, the media will be able to ride its horse towards the sunset in peace. But not like a cowboy who puts his gun in his belt and leaves with the honor of solving the problem with violence as if he is showing off, but rather like a cowboy who leaves as a successful problem solver in the eyes of people and with the honor of being more PROMISING for a peaceful world
Thank you.
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